Stosur wins Strasbourg title, stays top in Australia

PARIS (Reuters) - Sam Stosur retained her Australian number one position as she claimed the Strasbourg International title with a 5-7 6-4 6-3 victory against compatriot Daria Gavrilova on Saturday.

On the eve of the French Open, Stosur, who has been the Australian number one since October 2008, recovered from a shaky start to boost her confidence ahead of the claycourt grand slam in Paris, where she reached the final in 2010.

Sixth seed Stosur, 33, made a slow start, falling 3-1 behind in the opening set, which Gavrilova, the seventh seed, claimed after another break in the 11th game.

Stosur’s power was then too much to handle for 23-year-old Gavrilova, who offered some resistance in the second set but was completely outplayed in the decider.